


"Only" Human

by dreamflyer1100



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M, OC from FF (FanFiction) story, Xenoverse, still debating romance, write as I play
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-05-31 23:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6492457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamflyer1100/pseuds/dreamflyer1100
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The strongest warrior in the universe" was Trunks' wish from the dragon.<br/>Apparently the dragon's strongest warrior is a 17 year old human girl with no fighting experience whatsoever.</p><p>Great.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wish Upon a Dragon's Balls

**Author's Note:**

> I'm starting a new story!! *sobs*

The light was blinding as Trunks' wish was granted. Hopefully the dragon would give him someone agreeable and not homicidal. He hadn't exactly been specific.  
Shielding his eyes from the light, Trunks waited for the brightness to die down. As soon as it did, he lowered his arm and took a look at his warrior.  
\------  
Ruri stumbled down steps that hadn't been in front of her a second ago. With an indignant "ouch", she hauled herself up to a sitting position.  
Nursing her sore arm, the brunette looked around. As she did, she locked eyes with a lavender haired young man, wearing some of the strangest clothes Ruri had ever seen.  
"Hello?" she tried. "I, uh, I don't really know how I got here, but could you tell me where I am?"  
"Toki City," the man replied, his voice slightly hushed.  
"Um... where is that?"  
"You, are you human?"  
Ruri's eyes widened. "Yes...?"  
"Do you know how to fight?"  
"No...?"  
\------  
Trunks felt like smashing in the nearest brick wall. The dragon gave him a human girl with no fighting experience? Seriously? He needed a strong warrior NOW, not sometime next century.  
Maybe she was faking... yeah. That had to be it. The dragon wouldn't really give him a weak little girl, right? He just had to test her.  
\------  
Ruri watched as the man plastered on a friendly smile.  
"Hi there. Sorry about all this, but do you mind showing me your strength?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"I just want to make sure of your strength. All you have to do is fight me."  
"Fight?"  
The man tugged on the sword on his back, unsheathing it.  
"Wait, wait, you want-"  
Ruri didn't have time to finish her sentence as he came rushing at her, sword ready.  
Her first instinct was to throw up her arms to cover her face. Her next was to freeze and hope for the best.  
\------  
He couldn't believe it. The dragon ACTUALLY gave him a girl with a power level of approximately 3.  
With practiced ease, Trunks slipped the sword back in its sheath.  
"Sorry about this, I'll send you back right away," he told the girl.  
She didn't move from where she was standing, her arms covering her face.  
"Hello? I put the sword away if that's what you're worried about..."  
The girl peeked out from behind a pale arm and nodded ever so slightly.  
"You'll send me back home, right?" she asked.  
Trunks nodded. "That's the plan."  
\------  
"Your wish cannot be granted," the dragon boomed.  
"What? Why not?" Trunks questioned, his patience running thin.  
"You wished for the strongest warrior in the universe, and the girl I sent you is the one that you wished for."  
Trunks sighed heavily.  
"State your wish," the dragon commanded.  
"Then send her home," Trunks sighed, gesturing to the brunette standing beside him.  
The dragon paused for a moment before saying, "I cannot grant that wish."  
"Why!?" the girl shrieked.  
Another pause. "I am not allowed to say."  
\------  
Trunks watched silently as the girl sat on a step, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.  
"I can't go home, I'm stuck in a place that I've never heard of, I can't go home" was continuously repeated.  
He thought about comforting her, but what did he know of comforting girls?  
"Um, since it looks like you're staying for a while, we should probably introduce ourselves, yeah?" he tried, when it seemed like the girl had calmed down.  
That only succeeded in restarting the waterworks.  
"Look, I'm sorry about all this," he tried again.  
The girl mumbled something that Trunks didn't quite catch.  
"I'm sorry?"  
"Ru...ri..." she choked out.  
"Is that your name?"  
Ruri nodded.  
"I'm Trunks. Nice to meet you, Ruri."  
If this girl really was the strongest in the universe, then his only option was to train her. And fast. The corrupted time scrolls didn't exactly run on a nicely set schedule.  
They had to start somewhere. If names was the start, so be it.  
"God I hope this works."


	2. I Like Trains.......ing

"So this is the strongest warrior, huh?" The Kai of Time sighed, glancing over at the brunette, who had passed out an hour ago.  
Trunks nodded. "She said she doesn't have any fighting experience so I'm going to have to train her."  
The Kai of Time sighed again. "You'll have to hurry. We don't know when the time anomalies will start up again."  
The Kai and Time Patrol member watched Ruri turn over in her sleep.  
"So? What's her name?"  
Trunks looked back at the Kai. "Ruri. She said her name was Ruri."  
Ruri moaned in her sleep at the mention of her name.  
"We should probably let her sleep," the Kai of Time said, leaving the small dwelling.  
Trunks quickly followed.  
\------  
Ruri opened her eyes and was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling.  
She pulled herself up into a sitting position and rubbed at her eyes.  
"I guess it wasn't a dream, huh?" she mumbled to herself. "I wonder how long I was out for..."  
The girl brought an arm to her nose and took a sniff.  
"Hoo boy. I reek. I seriously need a bath."  
The brunette forced herself to get out of the (surprisingly) comfortable bed.  
"Is there a bathroom nearby? Or just a shower? A sink will do too, but I'm gonna need a towel," she wondered aloud.  
"If you need a shower, there's one around the hall," a voice interrupted.  
Ruri whipped around to find the young man with lavender hair, Trunks, standing a little awkwardly in the doorway.  
"Thanks..." she mumbled, a little stunned.  
"I can bring a change of clothes too if you need them," he offered, still awkward.  
Ruri nodded slowly and inched behind the bed.  
"I'm not going to attack you," Trunks put his hands up, showing he was weaponless. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok."  
The girl nodded again but didn't make any move to leave the bed-shield.  
"So... are you going to take that shower?"  
A nod.  
"Did you want... should I leave?"  
Another nod, this one accompanied by slightly red cheeks.  
"Uh, ok," Trunks turned around and left, walking a little stiffly.  
He shut the door behind him and was gone.  
"Ok. Survived encounter number 2. Good. Let's keep this rolling," Ruri let out a sigh of relief. "Let's hope encounter number 3 isn't my last."  
\------  
The warm water felt heavenly on Ruri's body. It felt great to wash her oily hair and get rid of all that stink. A small problem was that there only seemed to be products for men and - oh god, was she using a man's shower? Was this Trunks' shower? Oh good lord, this was Trunks' shower. And those were his soaps! She had used those!  
There was a knock on the bathroom door that made Ruri almost slip and fall. Almost. She managed to catch herself but not before her shoulder collided painfully with the shower wall.  
"Are you ok?" Trunks' voice asked, slightly muffled.  
"Fine," she groaned, righting herself and clutching onto her sore shoulder.  
"Are you sure? It sounded like you hit the wall or something."  
"I'm ok, really," Ruri assured, blinking back tears.  
"...ok, uh, I brought you some clothes, but I'm not sure what your size is so I just kind of guessed? I hope that's ok. If they don't fit, I'll find some other ones," Trunks said through the door.  
"Um, thanks," the brunette said, a little taken aback.  
She hadn't actually expected him to go buy her clothes. Or maybe they were borrowed. That was probably it.  
"Uh, how did you want me to...?" Trunks started but trailed off.  
Ruri got what he was trying to say. She thought about asking him to put them on the bed, but knowing that that was a pretty open area left it as undesirable.  
"If I open the door, could you put them somewhere in here?"  
There was a pause.  
"What?"  
"I'll tell you when it's ok to come in!" Ruri quickly clarified.  
"Um. Are you sure?"  
"Yes. Just promise you won't look!"  
"I promise!"  
Ruri took a deep breath, shut off the water, stepped out, unlocked the door, and rushed back into the shower.  
"Ok, you can come in now," she called.  
There was a click as the door opened and footsteps that were there and gone in a flash. The door shut again and Trunks called, "Ok, I'm outside."  
Ruri peeked out from behind the curtain, and seeing that no one was there, rushed to go lock the door again.  
After she did that, she grabbed at a towel to dry herself off and went to inspect the clothes.  
They seemed to be martial arts clothes. The top was a typical women's kung fu top in pink and the pants were those black kung fu pants that Jackie Chan wore.  
As Ruri took another look there seemed to be something missing.  
No underwear.  
She glanced over at her dirty ones and sniffed them.  
NOPE.  
That was out of the question.  
But so was asking for some.  
"I hate today."


	3. Eye of the...um...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm writing these first few parts (all the way up to the Android saga fight) from memory. The reason being I don't have the exact dialogue as I write this. Which is why I might get names and places mixed up. If I do get things mixed up, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, tell me. I will fix them immediately.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Trunks sat patiently on his bed, silently debating his sanity when the door to the bathroom clicked open and Ruri stepped out wearing the clothes he had bought for her.  
"They fit ok?" he asked, not noticing the girl's red cheeks.  
Ruri nodded, flecks of water dripping from her wet hair and - was that his shampoo? That- that was definitely his shampoo he smelled. Damn his Saiyan nose.  
"Uh-" Trunks started, showing off his eloquent speaking skills.  
"Thank you for bringing me clothes," Ruri interrupted, thankfully stopping short whatever embarrassment Trunks was about to bring upon himself.  
"I- uh- no problem," he stuttered.  
The short girl didn't seem to notice his mistake and only nodded.  
"Um, there's someone I want you to meet, so if you could follow me..." Trunks cleared his throat.  
Ruri nodded.  
"Are...you ok?"  
Another nod.  
"Your... your face is red, are you sure?"  
A more insistent nod.  
"Ok..."  
\------  
Ruri was fairly certain this was what Hell felt like. Just a lot cooler... or not. Her face was burning up so much that she felt like a lobster in a pot of boiling water. At least it was better than feeling cold.  
She was starting to debate her decision to go commando.  
Actually, starting? More like she knew it was a terrible idea from the start.  
"Are you SURE you're ok?" Trunks asked again.  
Ruri nodded, trying her best to keep her chest from moving.  
"We don't have to meet her if you don't feel well."  
The brunette shook her head. "Better to get it over with."  
Trunks paused but nodded when she soldiered forward.  
"So who am I meeting exactly?" she asked.  
"The Supreme Kai of Time," was Trunks' reply.  
"...what."  
The duo walked through a giant gate and towards a domed house. A young girl with pink hair stood with her arms crossed and a pout on her face.  
"You're slow!" she yelled, her pout deepening.  
"Sorry, but there was a little bit of a holdup," Trunks explained.  
The girl looked over at Ruri and quickly scanned her.  
"She looks good. Did you get her the new clothes?"  
Trunks nodded.  
Ruri started to feel really uncomfortable without a bra and wrapped her arms underneath her chest in an attempt to hold them up.  
"Are you ok?" the girl asked Ruri.  
The brunette nodded, not really willing to speak about undergarment issues with a man present.  
The pink haired girl stared at Ruri for a long while, making the taller girl shift under her gaze.  
Just as the small girl opened her mouth to speak, a cool breeze wrapped around the trio.  
Ruri felt her face turn as red as a cooked lobster.  
"Trunks..." the pink girl started.  
"Yes?"  
"Did you forget underwear?"  
Ruri felt her face get even warmer.  
Trunks' face turned a beet red as realization dawned on him.  
He turned to look at Ruri but turned away again as Ruri used her hands to cover the raised parts of her chest.  
"I am so so so so sorry," he mumbled, his ears red.  
"Don't be," Ruri squeaked out. "I should have mentioned it."  
"Do you have any spares?" the little girl asked.  
Ruri shook her head.  
"Then we'll have to get you some."  
\------  
With a rather frilly bra and panties finally in place, Ruri sighed happily.  
Underwear was indeed a needed luxury.  
Although the process of having to get one wasn't pleasant. Especially the part where she had to tell Trunks her size.  
And that wasn't a conversation she was willing to hold again. Or ever.  
"So, now we can finally get down to business. I'm the Supreme Kai of Time," the pink haired girl introduced. "And this is Toki Toki."  
Toki Toki, a giant fluffy yellow bird, cooed happily.  
"I'm Yukihisa Ruri," the brunette introduced.  
"We know," the Kai of Time smiled. "Trunks here summoned you to help with a problem of ours."  
"A problem? That you need my help with?" Ruri asked.  
"Yes, well, we weren't precisely sure who would be summoned. But, nonetheless, we need help.  
In any case, Trunks is part of what we call the Time Patrol. The Time Patrol makes sure to keep all the timelines in check and to dispose of and correct any time anomalies."  
"I guess that means you want me to become a Time Patroller or whatever?"  
"Yes. We have been experiencing some very strange time anomalies that are threatening to destroy time itself. We need you to go and fix the timelines so that doesn't happen."  
"And what would I be doing?"  
"Well... you'd be fighting."  
"Fight...ing...? Um, like hand-to-hand combat fighting?"  
"Yes. That's why I attacked you," Trunks interjected.  
"And you know that I have no experience whatsoever, right?"  
"Which is why Trunks here is going to train you," the Kai of Time smiled.


	4. Picking Up Quick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't mimic any of the fighting you read here. I am not a trained martial artist and I will NOT be held responsible if you decide to be an idiot and try this at home. Don't be an idiot. Be smart. I know you are.
> 
> Official Disclaimer:
> 
> DO NOT TRY ANY OF THE FIGHTING YOU READ HERE. I AM NOT A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL AND ANY OF THESE MOVES COULD PUT YOU IN SERIOUS DANGER IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. BE SAFE. BE SMART.

"To gather ki, you need to envision it as something like blood. It flows through your body and keeps everything working," Trunks began.  
Ruri stood in the grass under a tree with closed eyes.  
"Imagine your ki traveling through your body to your fingertips. Slowly expel it and gather it into a ball."  
There was a moment of silence as Ruri stood motionless under the tree, arms outstretched.  
"I'm not feeling anything," she mumbled, sighing.  
Trunks let out a sigh. "Just try again. You'll get it."  
"Trunks, I've been at this for over 2 hours now. I'm not even beginning to feel 'ki' flow through me," Ruri opened her eyes and made air quotes at "ki".  
"Then maybe we should try some actual training," the lavender haired boy sighed again.  
"Do you mean learning how to fight 'actual training' or weight lifting or something?"  
"I mean I'm going to teach you how to throw punches."  
\------  
"You want me to punch the punching bag 1000 times? As hard as I can? Continuously?" Ruri stared at the giant weighted bag Trunks had strung up on the tree.  
"Yes."  
"I'm 5'2" and weigh 156 pounds. I haven't done any form of continuous exercise for over 6 years."  
"Then you'd better get to it."  
Ruri sighed. "Can you at least show me how to throw a punch?"  
"...You don't know how to punch?"  
"I took one karate lesson at age 4 and I've never been in a fight."  
Trunks let out a long sigh. "Fine."  
He took a stance in front of the bag.  
"When you want to punch, make a fist and hold it right above your hip - why don't you follow along? That way it's easier."  
Ruri reluctantly took Trunks' place in front of the bag as he moved over to her side.  
"Make a fist - right - now when you punch the bag, make sure your entire body goes into the punch. You twist it - watch me - and then you punch the bag. You try. Twist, and punch. Um, no, not like that. Watch me again. Twist .... and punch."  
"Twist and punch," Ruri repeated, mimicking what Trunks had demonstrated.  
"Right. Good. Now punch the bag for real," he coaxed.  
Ruri put the lesson to use and managed to get the bag to sway a little at the impact.  
"Good. Pretty good." Trunks praised, smiling a little.  
He started to frown though when he noticed Ruri nursing her hand.  
"You ok?"  
"Uh, yeah. My knuckles hurt a little. I'll be fine," she waved it off.  
Trunks frowned. "Wait here."  
Ruri watched as he rushed off, going to god knows where.  
He returned 5 minutes later with something in hand.  
"Here. These bindings will help protect your hands until they toughen up," he said, handing Ruri a roll of what looked like gauze.  
She gingerly took the guaze and began to wrap it around her hands.  
"No, not like that - let me do it," Trunks took the bindings back and motioned for Ruri to show him her hands.  
She did, and he began to tightly wrap them.  
"Ok, now try hitting the bag," he said, gesturing to the black punching bag.  
Ruri nodded and took her stance. She punched the bag and succeeded in making it sway once more.  
"Good! How are your hands?"  
The brunette inspected her knuckles and smiled. "They don't hurt!"  
"Good. Now you can start your 1000 punches."  
Ruri paled.  
"Hurry up! Clock's ticking!"  
\------  
Ruri sat on the bed from the morning and rubbed her slightly bloody knuckles, wondering what they would look like if they hadn't been wrapped up.  
"How are they?" Trunks asked, carrying some bandages and antiseptic.  
"Bloody and sore," was Ruri's reply.  
He laughed. "Don't worry, they'll heal."  
"I certainly hope so," the girl mumbled.  
"Show me," the lavender haired young man commanded.  
Ruri obeyed and grimaced at the drops of blood that fell onto the ground.  
"Here," Trunks handed Ruri a stick. "Bite this."  
When she gave him a funny look, he said, "I don't want you biting off your tongue."  
Ruri nodded and took the stick in her mouth.  
He gave a sympathetic smile and began to pour the disinfectant over Ruri's bloody knuckles.  
The girl made a strangled high-pitched whine that broke off after a second. Her fingernails drove into her palms as she clenched her fists so hard, her knuckles turned an ash white.  
Trunks stopped pouring the disinfectant and quickly pulled out the bandages. In one swift move, Ruri's hands were wrapped in white gauze.  
"You can spit out the stick now," he told her.  
The brunette nodded, spitting out the stick with a "pthoo" and wiping away tears.  
"Are you ok?" He asked, brows furrowed together.  
Ruri nodded. "That hurt more than I expected," she laughed.  
Trunks smiled. "Yeah. Now you see why I gave you the stick?"  
Another nod. "Thanks."  
"No problem."  
There was a comfortable silence before a question of significant importance was asked.  
"Where am I staying?"


	5. Living Arrangements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 33 hits! Wow, that's a lot. Thank you to anyone who reads this weird story child of mine that I came up with because I have no life to speak of! Also, thank you to the 2 guests who left kudos! (You guys made my day!)   
> Off we go!

"Trunks?" Ruri tilted her head. "Are you ok?"  
The lavender haired young man blinked and shook his head. "Uh, well, we hadn't really thought that far ahead..."  
The brunette was shocked.  
"I guess we could prepare a temporary living space for you while we work something out, but..."  
Trunks trailed off. It wasn't like there weren't places, but they were meant for people/aliens with special abilities (a.k.a. people with power levels above average). They weren't designed for a regular (slightly overweight but still somehow adorably round) human girl.  
He looked back at the girl, expecting a sour look.  
Instead, Ruri looked dazed. Her eyes had gone glassy and looked far away, past Trunks.  
And then she fell onto the bed. She flopped backwards with a spectacular "foomph" as the air was squished out of Trunks' poor bed.  
"Nope," Ruri mumbled.  
"In hindsight we really should have thought this through," Trunks sighed, not really blaming the girl.  
"I'm not moving. Actually, scratch that, I don't think I COULD move even if I wanted to," the brunette huffed.  
"This is MY bed, you know," Trunks huffed back.  
Ruri was silent for a minute before she heaved herself up. "I'll go."  
"Wait. I just remembered something," the half-Saiyan told her before she could get up.  
He rushed over to a dresser and began to rummage around in it, finally pulling out a small white box. Trunks opened the box with a click and pulled out what looked like a small pill.  
"C'mon. I want to show you something," he pulled Ruri to her feet and dragged her out the door.  
He stopped in a grassy area clear of trees and debris.  
"Have you heard of a company called Capsule Corp?" Trunks asked, smiling a little bit.  
He was pretty sure he knew the answer.  
"No...? What's that?" Ruri asked in between breaths.  
She was still tired from that earlier training.  
"Watch this," the half-Saiyan grinned.  
Trunks pressed the button on the capsule and threw it towards the grassy clearing. There was a loud explosion and a thick cloud of smoke the next second.  
Ruri jumped backwards and almost fell but was caught by Trunks who had grabbed her arm.  
"What on Earth-" she started but was cut off as the smoke cleared.  
A domed house had suddenly appeared like magic in the middle of the clearing.  
"That," Trunks gestured to the house. "Is what Capsule Corp makes."  
"Magic houses that appear out of nowhere?" Ruri asked, still staring at the house with wide blue eyes.  
"Something like that," Trunks laughed. "Go inside. Check it out."  
The short brunette hesitated before nodding and opening the door.  
"IT COMES FULLY FURNISHED?" She shrieked, looking around.  
"Kind of. It's been a while since it was used, and it's an older model, but I think it's still usable. You might find some old clothes in them too, but I don't think they're your size."  
The half-Saiyan had poked his head through the doorway, watching with great amusement as Ruri rushed around with an excited smile on her face.  
"This is amazing!" she called from the kitchen. "It has everything!"  
The brunette ran out of the kitchen and back into the bedroom. Then she slowly inched her way back to the doorway and narrowed her eyes at Trunks. "You're not a wizard, are you?"  
Trunks had to stifle the laugh that had almost erupted from him.  
"N-No," he choked, trying to force his smile down.  
Ruri narrowed her eyes even more and backed away into the bedroom again.  
"I love this!"  
Ruri laughed and rushed out to where Trunks was standing and tackled him with a hug.  
"Thank you so much, Trunks," she said, her voice muffled by the coat she had buried her face in.  
"I did kind of ruin your life by wishing you here, so it's the least I could do," he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.  
"Still," Ruri looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you."  
\------  
After Trunks had bid Ruri goodnight, the brunette had practically undressed at the speed of light to take a shower.  
The hot water pounding on her sore shoulders felt heavenly.  
After standing still for a while, she washed herself quite thoroughly (with strawberry scented shampoo and bodywash) and finally felt clean.  
Ruri stepped out of the shower and glanced at her gross clothes.  
"I think I saw a washer so I should do that before I go to bed," she mumbled, grabbing the clothes and holding them at arm's length.  
The girl did find the washer, and the clothes were promptly tossed in.  
"Now to find something to sleep in. I think Trunks said there were some clothes in the dressers..."  
Ruri rummaged through a dresser and found a lot of women's clothing (and a bunny suit for some reason). She finally settled on an oversized shirt and pulled it on.  
The girl made her way to the bed and sat down on it.  
"It's only a few more minutes until the clothes are clean," she yawned. "I need to stay awake or else they'll...wrinkle..."  
Ruri rubbed at her suddenly heavy eyes. She didn't have to wait long before she heard the washer beep.  
After setting the clothes out to dry, Ruri finally climbed into bed and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone guess who's house Trunks gave to Ruri? It's a subtle nod to the original Dragon Ball with kid Goku (if anyone remembers those first few episodes; y'know, the ones where Yamcha got a fair amount of screentime and was afraid of girls?). I've got the first 16 episodes (with Emperor Pilaf as the main villain) and the OVA Curse of the Blood Rubies on VHS and let me tell you, Dragon Ball (along with Sailor Moon) was my first experience with anime. They were a gift from an uncle (who for some reason had them but didn't like anime) to my dad (who liked and still likes anime).


	6. Mon-ki See, Mon-ki Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter? *gasp* Ha. Wait until we get like 40 chapters in. Then I'll be updating like once a month.  
> Let's go!

Ruri was rudely awoken to the sound of a loud banging on the door.  
"Ruri!" a voice called.  
It sounded vaguely familiar and the girl just couldn't figure out why.  
"Wake up, Ruri! We need to start training!"  
Training? Training for what? Ruri wasn't athletic. Not since last she checked.  
"RURI!"  
The brunette slowly hauled herself out of bed and finally recognized the voice.  
"Are you in there?" Trunks called, loudly knocking on the door.  
She didn't answer, in favor of sitting silently and remembering yesterday and the day she had been summoned. The girl felt a few tears slide down her cheeks and she wiped them away.  
"Ruri? Are you alright in there?" Trunks called again.  
"I'm fine!" Ruri yelled. "I just woke up."  
"Oh. Well, meet me where we trained yesterday, ok?"  
"Got it."  
\------  
"Today we're going to focus on harnessing your ki," Trunks told Ruri.  
The girl nodded, not really listening.  
"Like I said yesterday, you have to feel the ki throughout your body and harness it. It's like blood."  
Ruri nodded again, mimicking Trunks' motions as he gathered his ki into a ball of light in his hands.  
She looked down at her hands and saw nothing.  
"You'll get it eventually," Trunks reassured.  
About an hour passed of Trunks teaching Ruri ki gathering techniques before she finally felt the dam break.  
This was too much. She had been torn from her world to help the "Time Patrollers" fight off an impending evil only to be deemed pretty much useless (though she couldn't really deny the useless part, a small voice reminded) and was tried to be sent back like a defect item, only to find that no, she couldn't go back home because the stupid giant floating lizard said so, and now she was being trained to fight and gather "ki" and no one had even asked about her opinion in all this-  
"-ri! Ruri!"  
The girl snapped out of her trance and looked up at Trunks.  
"Huh?"  
"You were doing it! And-! Are... you crying?"  
Ruri lifted her hands to her cheeks and felt something wet.  
"I... guess I am," she mumbled, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. "But what was I doing?"  
"You- you had gathered ki into a ball," Trunks told her. "It was a pretty decent size."  
"Oh."  
"...do you need a break?" The half-Saiyan offered.  
Ruri nodded. "That'd be good."  
There was a grumble of protest from Ruri's stomach that made her turn red.  
"Now that I think about it, you haven't eaten anything since you came to Toki-Toki City. Why don't we go get something?"  
\------  
Lunch was ramen. Tonkotsu ramen for Ruri and... almost everything on the menu for Trunks.  
"How are you able to eat so much?" she asked, watching him eat a bowl of shio ramen (a bowl of tonkotsu and shoyu ramen each had been packed away about 30 minutes ago).  
"I'm half Saiyan," he explained, like it was obvious.  
"Saiyan...?"  
"It's an alien race of super warriors that live to fight... or so my father says."  
"Alien?"  
"You've seen some around, haven't you? The tall green guys with antenna are called Namekians. They're from the planet Namek," Trunks placed his empty bowl off to the side and raised his hand to flag the waiter down.  
"Well I guess, but I thought they were just costumes or something," Ruri furrowed her eyebrows together.  
As the waiter ran off to get Trunks 3 orders of gyoza, the half-Saiyan raised an eyebrow.  
"Do you not have aliens in your universe?"  
"Well, maybe, but we haven't made contact with any..."  
"What kind of universe do you live in? You seemed so surprised when I showed you the capsule house."  
Ruri's face darkened. "We don't have things like that."  
"Your planet sounds awfully primitive," Trunks commented.  
"Yeah, I guess compared to where you're from, we would be."  
The waiter rushed back with the 3 orders of gyoza balanced on a tray. He placed the dumplings on the table and asked if there was anything else he could get. Trunks shook his head and said he'd ask if there was something else.  
"So do Saiyans look like humans?" Ruri asked.  
"Almost exactly," Trunks replied. "The only differences are that they have a tail like a monkey's and can transform into a giant ape if they look at the full moon."  
"So... were-monkey?"  
"Kind of."  
Ruri pushed her empty bowl away as she watched Trunks swallow the gyoza effortlessly.  
"How come you don't have a tail if you're half-Saiyan?"  
"I got it cut off."  
"Oh."  
The brunette decided to pass the time looking out the window of the ramen shop.  
She did indeed see what Trunks called "Namekians" walking around outside.  
"Are all Namekians male?" she asked.  
"Not exactly. They're hermaphrodites that look like human men."  
"How do they reproduce?"  
"They lay eggs asexually but have minor control over what the child will look like so I guess it's not true asexual reproduction," the half-Saiyan replied. He flagged down the waiter again and handed him some money.  
"You all done?" he asked.  
Ruri nodded.  
"Then let's get back to training."  
The girl gave a quiet groan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to check if I got all my DBZ facts right. Specifically the part with Namekian reproduction. I am kind of fuzzy with that part. (And the part with Trunks' tail but I honestly don't know what happened to it).  
> Thanks for reading and DFTBA (Don't Forget To Be Awesome)!
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. I checked, and I did get the Namekian reproduction slightly wrong. Namekians are hermaphrodites with physiques similar to human males. While normal hermaphrodites can reproduce sexually, Namekians reproduce asexually (but still seem to have some control over what the child will look like so that it's not an actual copy) [FIXED].  
> The thing with Trunks' tail though, was a little more frustrating. He has never been seen with a tail, baby version or otherwise. So after researching to no avail, I said, "F*** it, I'm rolling with what I said earlier."  
> DFTBA!


	7. Just A Little More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 71 hits. Wow. I-I'm genuinely shocked. That's a lot.
> 
> also yaaaaaay i updated imsorry

"Focus your mind and allow the ki to flow freely," Trunks instructed.  
Ruri stood in the grassy clearing, eyes closed, silently willing her "ki" to manifest.  
So far, nothing.  
With a gasp, she broke her concentration.  
"I'm sorry, Trunks. I don't think I can do what I did before," she sighed.  
"Don't worry," the half-saiyan reassured. "You're a human who hasn't had any prior training. I was surprised to see you manifest your ki even if you were doing it unconsciously. It can take years or even decades to do something like that."  
Ruri nodded silently, not cheered up.  
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, quiet enough that she thought Trunks wouldn't hear. "I'm not a fighter, so I just end up dragging you down."  
\------  
Two weeks had passed of physical training in the morning, and ki training in the afternoon.  
"At least I'm building some muscle and losing some weight, if nothing else," Ruri commented at her half naked reflection in the mirror.  
She poked at her underarm where two weeks ago, would've been flab. Now there was less flab, and more muscle.  
"My hands are completely ruined though."  
Her once soft and unscarred hands had become rough and peppered with cuts where she had punched the sandbag too hard.  
There was a knock at the door that shocked the brunette.  
"Ruri?"  
It was Trunks.  
"I'm almost ready!" she called, pulling on a simple black tee and kung-fu pants.  
Ever since last week, it had been a thing for Trunks and Ruri to eat dinner together while Trunks tried to explain the world to her. It was difficult at first for her mind to comprehend, but soon it caused her only a little shock.  
Aliens and time travel were no longer the stuff of science fiction, they simply existed.  
And every once in a while, Trunks would ask her about her world.  
"So what's a 'smartphone'?" he asked over a plate of curry.  
"Um, it's a portable phone that you can text and call with and even surf the internet with. There are even apps-er, applications you can download that can enhance your phone. Most are games, though," Ruri explained, feeling a little out of her element. "I don't know too much about them since I never owned one."  
"Your world seems primitive in comparison to mine in some ways, but advanced in others," Trunks hummed.  
"I don't really know why that is," Ruri shrugged, taking a bite of her sandwich.  
\------  
"You're doing it!" Trunks exclaimed, smiling at the pea-sized light floating in front of Ruri.  
Her pale face was red with effort, and her hands were clenched so strongly, her knuckles had turned a bone white.  
Ruri gasped, and the light went out. She fell to her knees, and sucked in deep gulps of air. Trunks was beside her in a flash.  
"Why - *breathe* Do I feel like - *breathe* I just got punched directly - *breathe* In the lungs??" she managed to get out, sweat streaming down her neck.  
"I'm not sure, but it might have something to do with your being human, and because it's your first time," Trunks rubbed the small girl's back, trying to coax more air in.  
It took almost 10 minutes for Ruri to feel ready enough to try again. While the action had made her winded, creating a floating ball of light was definitely something to be proud of. It was almost... fun?  
Ruri tried twice more, succeeding both times, before passing out spectacularly.  
\------  
Ruri awoke to the sound of a clock pendulum swinging. It was pitch-black.  
"Hello?" she called, rubbing her arms.  
It was cold.  
"Is anyone there?"  
Silence.  
"Hello?"  
She blinked, and stood in front of a park. In the middle of the park, was another Ruri. This one was thin, and wore a blue ribbon in her hair. Three other people were with her. Two boys and a girl.  
Ruri watched as slim Ruri laughed along with her friends as one of the boys began to put on a magic show. The other boy seemed a little grouchy for some reason. The girl said something to the other Ruri that made her laugh. The girl joined in. The boy who had put on the magic show pouted and shouted something to the girls who calmed themselves down and went back to watching the show. Ruri blinked, and found herself staring up at a white ceiling.  
"Are you ok, Ruri?" came Trunks' voice.  
She turned her head to see the half-Saiyan looking at her with furrowed brows. "You were crying in your sleep."  
The brunette pulled herself into a sitting position that made her muscles protest, but she ignored the pain.  
"I had a dream..." she started.  
"What kind of a dream?" Trunks asked.  
"A dream that felt... like a forgotten memory..."  
The lavender-haired boy scrunched up his eyebrows.  
"What do you mean?"  
"It felt like I had been there, experiencing it, but I know for a fact I haven't."  
Ruri paused.  
"Maybe all that multiverse theory got to me," she smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I added a little Easter egg for anyone who knows the original Ruri story. Don't worry, you don't have to know anything if you haven't read it. They only appear as Easter eggs. Nothing more.


	8. The Ki to Unlocking The Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost all my chapter titles are puns. I regret nothing.
> 
> Also, I'm sorry there are a lot of breaks, there's a lot of information that I'm trying to convey and I have a limited character count.

There was a slight breeze as Ruri lay in the cool grass. The wind ruffled her brown hair, making the locks twist and try to break free.  
"Ready to get back to training?" came a voice.  
Ruri opened her eyes and looked at Trunks. She pulled herself up to sit, and nodded.  
"Yup."  
\------  
Ruri concentrated on creating a small ball of light that floated in her open palm. It blinked if she was somehow distracted.  
Sweat began to trickle down her neck. It had only been a minute.  
Ruri gasped and the light went out.  
"Sorry," she mumbled between breaths of air. "This is the longest I can do."  
Trunks nodded. "Take five."  
\------  
"I don't know what to do," the half-Saiyan sighed. "We've been training for over a month now, and she's barely shown any progress in her abilities. She's not even that great at fighting."  
"I would normally suggest giving her more time, but time isn't really something we can spare," the Kai of Time nodded. "We should try to look for an alternative."  
Trunks frowned. "Do we have to do that? She was the one that Shenron summoned, maybe her power is sealed?"  
The Kai of Time shook her head. "It's possible, but I don't have any way to unlock it, if that's truly the case. We may have to gather the Dragon Balls again to directly ask."  
The half-Saiyan nodded. "I'm on it."  
\------  
"So you're saying that my potential is locked away and to unlock it, we have to summon the dragon?" Ruri asked, feeling quite like a fish out of water.  
Trunks nodded. "It's the only possible explanation for your inability to grow any more than you have."  
"Are you sure it's not because I'm a regular human being?"  
"You were chosen by Shenron in accordance to my wish, so there's no way you're an 'ordinary human'."  
Ruri raised an eyebrow. "What was the wish?"  
"I wished for the strongest warrior in the universe to help our cause," the lavender-haired boy explained after a short pause. "You were what Shenron gave me. And the dragon doesn't make mistakes."  
The brunette sighed. "Alright... if you think this'll work, then I guess it won't hurt to try, right?"  
\------  
It hurt to try. It VERY much hurt to try.  
It felt like a dull knife cutting into Ruri's chest, and a straw none to gently sucking something out.  
The end result was a dull soreness all over her body.  
"Ruri? Are you ok?"  
Ruri could hear Trunks' voice but couldn't respond. Instead, she produced a sound that was akin to a dying seal.  
"I'll assume not, then."  
Another dying seal sound.  
\------  
Trunks carried Ruri back to the capsule house and gently laid her down on the bed.  
Her eyes were screwed shut, and she was gripping at her chest. Sweat gathered on her forehead and slid down her face in little glistening beads.  
Every once in a while the small brunette gave a whimper and clutched her chest even tighter.  
"I'm sorry for this," the lavender-haired boy mumbled.  
\------  
Ruri awoke to a throbbing pain in her back. She rubbed at it, trying to massage the pain away.  
The events from the day before quickly answered any questions Ruri was about to ask.  
"Let's hope this worked."  
\------  
"One lock has been broken, three more remain..." The Kai of Time repeated. "Her power isn't completely unsealed, in other words."  
Trunks nodded. "That's what I thought as well."  
"How is her power level now, at least?"  
"It's enough to clear the first obstacle, thankfully," the half-Saiyan smiled. "Which is much more than what I can say for the Ruri yesterday."  
The Kai of Time nodded. "Then you'd better finish up her basic training soon."  
She looked over at the corrupted Time Scroll.  
"Because we need her as soon as possible."


End file.
